Rubber Ducks, Garden Walks and Big Brother Talks
by Messinia Adoria
Summary: The one-shot plot bunny that nested in my head after reading one too many fanfics with this classic situation. It is my version of how Harry and Ginny got together and the inevitable talk from Ron.


Disclaimer: I own none of JKR's fabulous characters or anything else she lays claim to.  
  
'I hate portkeys' Harry thought as he grasped his trunk handle. He reluctantly placed his other hand on the rubber ducky that Arthur Weasley had pulled from the pocket of his robes moments before. 'It is getting me away from the Dursley's for another year' he reminded himself. He had only needed to stay with them for three weeks this summer, and although the Dursley's had been civil, Harry had been miserable. He had thought it would be a relief to escape to the muggle world, but he had been wrong. He realized shortly after returning to Private Drive that "escaping" only provided him with more time to dwell on all that had happened at the end of last term. After three weeks of alternating his focus on the prophecy deeming him a murderer or the murdered, and wallowing in misery over the loss of his godfather, Harry was glad to be going to the Burrow. He needed to be around the flurry of activity that surrounded the Weasley's home and the distraction that his friends would provide.  
  
As Harry felt the familiar tug behind his navel, he thought of his unexpected new friendship with Ginny. He had been quite surprised when she had started writing just a few days into summer. They had never been that close. He had always thought of her as Ron's little sister, the one who tagged along, the one that had an embarrassing crush on him when she was younger, which he was told was long gone, but that was who she was to Harry. He had never even bothered to get to know her until these last few weeks. However now, well, he was glad he could call her his friend. Her letters had been the only ones that had managed to make him smile. They had been filled with stories of the twins' antics, or pleading him to help her practice for quiddage tryouts since she was "returning her position to its rightful holder" as she said, or just with ordinary everyday chitchat. That is what had made them so different from everyone else's letters. Ron and Hermione had written him almost as often, however their letters had all been cautious and sympathetic. As if they were walking on eggshells, afraid to upset him. He knew they had the best intentions, however he thought if they asked him how he was doing or feeling one more time, he might scream. Ginny's letters were never like that. She had never treated him like someone to pity or like something fragile. She had made it quite clear that despite the tragedies in the last year, life was going on, and he was expected to join them in it. Whether he liked it or not, he knew she was right and he intended to try.  
  
The floor of the Burrow slammed against his feet and Harry was caught off balance when his trunk jerked down beside him. He ended up sprawled ungracefully across the kitchen floor, his glasses skidding to a halt a few feet away. Opening his eyes, his gaze fell upon a stunning young woman who was standing over him. Her flawless skin glowed as she smiled. He stared into her warm chocolate eyes for several moments, in awe, before he realized she was holding her hand out. He clumsily took her offered hand and was surprised when she quickly pulled him to his feet and into a hug. Harry was filled with warmth at this unknown beauty's embrace. She looked familiar, but Harry couldn't seem to place her. Her flaming red hair marked her as a Weasley, a cousin perhaps. Harry was brought out of his silent admiration of her when he heard a familiar voice coming into the room behind him.  
  
"Oi, Ginny let him breathe," Ron said as he stepped through the doorway.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry whispered, pulling himself from the hug. Arthur chuckled softly to himself as he left the room calling to his wife that they had arrived.  
  
"And you thought I was. . .?" She asked sarcastically handing him the glasses that she had collected from the floor.  
  
He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. "When did you get so beautiful, or maybe I've just been blind," Harry muttered under his breath. He turned away to greet the other people shuffling through the door. He hadn't seen the grin that spread across her face.  
  
The next few moments passed in a barrage of hugs as Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley greeted him. When he was finally released from Molly Weasley's last bone crushing squeeze, he was hurried off to Ron's room to unpack before lunch.  
  
"So, how are you feeling?" Ron asked after several silent minutes. Both Ron and Hermione had offered to help him unpack. He had reluctantly agreed, knowing that he would be subjected to torture with their questioning looks and careful queries about his current well-being.  
  
"I'm fine you guys, really," Harry said, noticing out of the corner of his eye the knowing looks the two were sharing.  
  
"I'm sure you are Harry, but we were just worried that. . ." Hermione was interrupted by Ginny's knock.  
  
"Mum says lunch is ready," Ginny announced, then dramatically added, "She wants Harry to come down at once because he looks frightfully thin." as she grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him toward the door.  
  
"Thank you," Harry whispered as she led him down the stairs. "I owe you for saving me from those two and their 'tell us how you're REALLY feeling' talk."  
  
Ginny giggled in reply as they entered the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley, who was just putting lunch on the table, smiled as the two entered. It wasn't until Ginny dropped his hand as they sat down that Harry noticed she had still been holding it. He stared at his now empty hand with surprise. 'Why did that feel like a completely normal thing to be doing' he wondered silently.  
  
"Eat up Harry. You look famished." Mrs. Weasley said, pulling Harry out of his thoughts as she piled sandwiches on his plate and poured him a glass of pumpkin juice. When she had finished fussing over him, she left the room muttering something that sounded a lot like 'those horrible muggles' and 'starving the poor boy'.  
  
Ginny smirked at him, her eyes dancing with laughter, as Harry whispered, "Your mum is totally nutters if she thinks I can actually eat all this." He tossed a few sandwiches from the mound on his plate to her empty one.  
  
Shortly thereafter Ron and Hermione slid quietly into their seats. "We finished unpacking for you." Ron told Harry.  
  
"Thank You, but you guys really didn't need to," Harry was quickly silenced by Hermione.  
  
"Really, it was nothing. We just thought you would like to rest after lunch without having to worry about it."  
  
"Or we could go play some quiddage," Ginny suggested hopefully.  
  
"Ginny, I'm sure Harry doesn't feel up to that." Ron told her shortly.  
  
"Well I think that is for him to decide." She snapped back, the color in her cheeks rising with her temper.  
  
"He needs his rest." Ron replied, his tone sharpening even more.  
  
"Why is that? Is he ill?" She retorted angrily.  
  
Ron stood from the table yelling, "I told you to let him be Ginny! You already insisted on writing him all of those letters filled with pointless babble that he didn't want to hear. He doesn't need you trying to convince him everything is bloody wonderful!"  
  
"And what he needs is you two tiptoeing around him like a couple nursemaids trying to keep the world from disturbing him!"  
  
"Virginia! Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley screeched from the doorway, "What in Merlin's name do you two think you are doing!"  
  
Harry managed to recover enough from the surprise of their outburst to close his mouth before Ginny glanced at him. She then glared at Ron and stormed out the door to the garden. Harry was quickly on his feet following her, ignoring Ron's stuttering behind him.  
  
She only got half way across the garden before he caught up with her. "Ginny, wait." He said grasping her arm.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" She asked bitterly as she turned to face him.  
  
"I have spent the last three weeks alone and 'resting'. I thought you were against more of that behavior." He asked looking into her exasperated brown eyes. "Was I wrong?" The fact that she alone could make him smile lately was invaluable to him and he truly wanted to spend more time with her. However he didn't really know how to ask. After his disaster relationship, if you could even call it a relationship, with Cho Chang, any interaction with the opposite sex terrified Harry more than Voldemort even could.  
  
"Why did you follow me out here Harry?" She questioned as an unreadable mask swept over her features.  
  
"I wanted to make sure you didn't believe him," he said awkwardly. "Your letters were, um, and then I got here and saw you, and well, I just don't want you to think that I didn't er, rather don't," He sighed distraught, he knew he was screwing this up. It suddenly hit him why he needed to make her understand. Somehow, he, Harry Potter had developed feelings for her. Not for Ron's little sister, but for her, Ginny Weasley  
  
A look of disbelief flashed across Ginny's face. It was quickly concealed as a slytherin worthy smirk graced her features, "You know Potter, I heard what you said about me right after you got here." He froze and stared at her, terrified rejection was soon to follow. Then their eyes locked as she leaned closer, whispering, "Now would be a good time to act on that."  
  
As her words registered in his mind, he wrapped his arms around the red head's waist, his eyes locking with hers. He slowly drew her closer, slightly aware that he was expecting her to push him away, or start crying, or some equally horrifying action, at any moment. He was briefly startled when her arms wrapped around his neck pulling him toward her. As the warmth from her lips met his, it spread throughout his body. He relaxed into the kiss immersing his hands in her soft tresses. A soft groan of desire arose from the back of her throat when his tongue pleaded with her lips for entry. Suddenly a SLAM from the house brought the couple back from their private bliss.  
  
It only took a millisecond before Harry noticed a very irate redhead moving toward them. Ron quickly crossed the garden with a worried Hermione a mere step behind him.  
  
'Oh sweet Merlin the brothers!' Harry thought, panic setting in. 'What was I thinking kissing her. She has six, . . . SIX, extremely overprotective brothers!!! One of them being my best friend! He will never understand! I've depraved his baby sister, and in broad daylight in the family's own backyard!!! They will be out for blood.'  
  
He knew what was coming as Ron stopped in front of them, Ginny grasped Harry's hand comfortingly. He remembered the times he had seen her previous boyfriends attempts to approach the family. Then he was only an observer, yet still a confident to the family's intimidation. He had always secretly pitied the ones in the line of fire, but never truly imagined how they had felt, until now, and he knew he would be getting it worse. He glanced at her and she gazed reassuringly back. Slowly he looked up at Ron fully expecting a look that could kill. What he saw surprised him. The glare was unquestionably there, but wrong.  
  
"How dare you!!" He sputtered his face the reddest Harry had ever seen. "My sister!! My best friend!!"  
  
"Ron, I can explain," Harry started.  
  
"You wait!" Ron screamed as he turned to Ginny. "I told you, but would you listen? Oh of course not, thinking you know best. All I can say is. . . So help me, if you hurt him, sister or not, I will kill you." He then quickly turned to Harry and said, "It's your life and I can't stop you, just be careful, Ok." With that he turned and walked away, Hermione following quickly behind.  
  
Harry and Ginny stood together, holding hand, silently staring at the back door. A look of amazement plastered to their faces, both rendered speechless for a considerable amount of time.  
  
"He just. . . I got. . . He, he told. . ." She stuttered breaking the silence. Harry turned to face the extremely flustered Ginny and burst into laughter at the look of distress on her face. "That is NOT the way it is supposed to go!" She shrieked.  
  
"I can only pray the rest of your brothers react the same way." Harry teased as he pulled her into a second kiss. 


End file.
